The TX House has passed SB 1257, effectively creating a discriminatory “Trans Tax” by requiring insurance companies to cover unlimited liability for “all possible adverse consequences” related to gender transition-related care.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 14, 2025
CONTACT: Emily Witt (she/her), [email protected]
AUSTIN, Texas — The Texas House yesterday passed Senate Bill 1257, which would effectively create a discriminatory “Trans Tax” by requiring insurance companies to cover unlimited liability for “all possible adverse consequences” related to gender transition-related care.
The Texas House was originally scheduled to debate HB 778, the House companion bill for SB 1257. Legislators instead chose to swap out HB 778 for SB 1257, as the Senate version had already passed through that chamber.
The last-minute decision allowed the legislation to reach the Governor’s desk more swiftly, leaving LGBTQIA+ advocates and allies who had mobilized against HB 778 feeling that the process was undemocratic and lacking transparency.
Texas Freedom Network Political Director Rocío Fierro-Pérez (she/her) issued the following statement:
“SB 1257 is a tax on trans people. It places unfair, excessive burdens on Texans seeking the same quality of health care their neighbors receive. The implications go far beyond paperwork. This bill discourages coverage of essential and even life-saving care, including counseling and therapy. At a time when 46% of trans and non-binary young people have seriously considered suicide, our state leaders are choosing to erect new barriers to mental health care rather than break them down. That is immoral.
“SB 1257 violates a fundamental Texas value: the right to make personal decisions without government intrusion. Medical choices should be between a patient and their doctor, not the state legislature. And yet, this bill inserts politics into the most private and personal aspects of people’s lives. Trans Texans deserve the same opportunities to live full, healthy lives as anyone else. They deserve dignity, support, and access to care, not punitive laws crafted to make their existence harder.”
Under the bill’s broad language, this bill would make insurance coverage for essential transgender healthcare prohibitively expensive or entirely unavailable, forcing transgender Texans to pay substantially more for basic medical services than their neighbors or go without vital care altogether.
